


Cafe of Lions

by Suileye



Series: LionTales [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cat cafe AU, If I add more chapters to it, M/M, The lions are kittycats, flirting will happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-08-14 17:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8023111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suileye/pseuds/Suileye
Summary: The first short story piece to my Voltron short story collection, LionTales.  Shiro gets a job at the new cat cafe at Garrison University, the Cafe of Lions.  He meets his fellow workers and experiences his first week at work.





	1. Chapter 1

Shiro yawns as he stands outside the large window of his new workplace, Café of Lions. It is the new cat café by Garrison University, and the first one Shiro has seen after visiting his relatives in Japan. 

He is not quite sure how it was going to work out, but the owner seemed pleased enough to hire him on the spot. She, Allura was it, said something about how the cats chose the workers. However, Shiro isn’t completely sure that he actually got the job simply because the one cat kept meowing at him from the window. But hey, a job is a job.

With that, Shiro pushes the door open, listening as the small bell chimes above the door. The main room looks different in the morning, more welcoming. The cool blue- gray walls shine with the morning sun. Shiro could see more of the little fixtures made for the cats, like the barely there walkway built along the walls for the cats to run along. They lead to different perches that are dark- stained but have subtle hues of the rainbow. Shiro wonders how they designed all of the fixtures for the space.

“Hey, you’re the new guy right?” 

Shiro turns toward the kitchen area, seeing a man wave him towards the counter. He slowly walks over and sits down on one of the stools. 

“Yes, my name is Shiro. Nice to meet you.” Shiro says politely, holding out his left hand, the flesh and blood one.

“Pleased to meet you, Shiro. The name’s Hunk, head baker and sandwich maker” Hunk introduces himself with a wide grin, giving Shiro a strong handshake. Shiro holds his breath for the impending question about his prosthetic arm and not using it for the typical handshake, but Hunk said nothing.

“Want any requests for a before work meal? The croissants are almost ready to come out the oven… Actually speaking of the croiss… quiznak!” Hunk quickly turns around and rushes to the oven in the corner of the large kitchen. 

Looking around, Shiro almost wants to whistle at how modern and expensive the kitchen looked. No expense seems to be spared for this shop, from the appliances to the smooth marble countertop. They link together with the cool colors of the rest of the cafe in almost a royal space age vibe. 

Shiro is distracted from his gawking with the delectable smell of baked bread filling his senses, as Hunk returns to the counter with a tray of the delicious crescents. He watches as Hunk quickly cuts one in half and filling it with a light cream and a dark magenta jam. He places the finished creation on a small silver plate before laying it in front of Shiro. Shiro smiles in thanks.

“Yea, your face has the whole lost-in-the-good-smell-zone look, so why not start your Cafe of Lions experience with our feature favorite item? Well, soon to be feature favorite item, you know once we do the grand opening and get a large enough fanbase to, you know, decide that they can’t live without our Stellar Croissants with whipped cream and Juniper berry jam…” 

Hunk wanders back to filling up the rest of the croissants as he quickly rambling on and on. Shiro listens politely, enjoying the little tidbits on how the berries apparently come from Allura’s homeland and the jam was her father’s recipe. Finishing off the sweet pastry, Shiro moves from his stool into the kitchen to clean the plate off. He might as well make himself useful, while waiting for people to arrive.

Actually, now that he thinks about it.

“Hey Hunk.”

“Yea, man?” 

“When do the other workers come in? I mean, we can’t be it, or we wouldn’t be able to serve anyone properly.” Shiro asks, curious. Hunk hums in thought before speaking.

“Well, Allura should be here soon with Coran, who is our main manager and cat consultant. Basically, if anything seems weird, find a guy with a large orange mustache. I’m talking Nigel Thornberry worthy. He’s a walking encyclopedia, it’s pretty great actually.” Shiro nods, grabbing a few platters that Hunk pointed out to him and hands them over to arrange the pastries on.

“Next up is Keith, who is typically here first besides me. You are just asked to be here to get the Hunk introduction experience, and to help with some heavy lifting. He’s our caffeination guru and handles all the drinks here. Word to the wise, try talking to him after he’s had his first cup of coffee. Lance- he’s a waiter and floorman like you- did a good morning slap on the back once and… well, let’s just say we upgraded to a more durable coffee maker since then.” Hunk shivers at the memory, but Shiro smiles at the honesty. This job sounds more interesting than anything he experienced abroad. 

“Do Lance and Keith not get along?” Shiro asks as he grabs the now filled platters and carries them to the display. What can he say? He is not a person who sits idly by. Hunk laughs at the question. It’s a nice warm laugh that makes you want to join in.

“Oh you’ll see. They say, well Lance says, they have this whole Rivalry that started back in highschool, but trust me on this. They are one drunken Disney night away from being good friends. No one can resist the bonding pain of Mufasa’s death scene.” 

“Ahh. That is certainly one kind of team bonding experience.” Shiro chuckles, confirming to himself that he is going to like this place. Hunk smiles at Shiro’s laugh, before wiping his hands on his apron and gesturing him over. 

“Yep, and besides Pidge, our electronics expert, that’s all of our human co-workers. Now, let’s introduce you to the stars of the cafe.” Hunk wanders over to one of the storage trucks that reminds Shiro of the one they used to use in the army. 

“Despite what it appears to be to the human eye, Pidge and I actually made this a lil’ room for the cats to relax in when they get stressed out. Although half the time they just sleep in here in the morning, especially after we installed the little heater.” Hunk explains, before popping off the side of the truck, revealing a large pile of purring cats inside. Shiro shuffles closer, admiring the soft blanket interior they had inside that led to a covered heater in the corner. 

The purrs turn into curious trills and trumpets, as Hunk picks up a large, golden cat from the edge of the pile. The cat is huge, but Hunk seems to know just how to cradle it in his arms. The cat yawns at Shiro, before purring at the soft scratches under the chin from Hunk.

“This is ol’ Yellow. We think she’s a mix of like Norwegian Fairy Cat and Maine Coon, because she is a serious tank. But she’s a big sweetie, and don’t freak out if she wanders into the kitchen. It’s often just to sleep on my feet. We kinda bonded when I first came to Allura’s house after meeting her at a summer program for engineering students at the university. She was helping tutor the students and brought them over to have some study time and cat socialization.” 

Ol’ Yellow blinks slowly at Shiro, which Shiro guessed was a welcoming gesture. Hunk gently puts her down, and sure enough the yellow cat begins to curl around Hunk’s left foot and falls back to sleep. She does not even seem bother when Hunk shuffles to pick up another cat. 

A sleek Blue Russian cat presses her head into Hunk’s hand, meowing enthusiastically until Hunk picks her with a laugh. “This is Bluegill. She’s one of the more social cats of the group, so she will often be on one of the fixtures that are placed throughout the dining area.” Shiro looks around, noticing the four climbing perches and toy areas that center a group of tables. Hunk smiles, as Blue rubbed under his chin with a loving purr.

“Yea, Allura designed the everything you see and had Pidge and me built them all. She had us set it up this way, so that clients could see the cats play from different areas, but only interact when they are in the actual dining area. Otherwise, most of the features for the cats are along the walls, so that they aren’t bothered and over-stressed by the rush of people.” Shiro nods understandably. 

“That makes sense. Anyone can get stressed by too much attention.” Shiro agrees, rubbing at Blue’s soft fur, gaining pleased grumbles. 

“Yea, you would think, but Bluegill is kinda like her paladin in how much she can handle affection.” Hunk chuckles, placing Bluegill on a table-top, although Blue did not seem pleased with being put down. Shiro moves over and begins to pet under his chin to quiet her down. While Blue is distracted, Hunk quickly grabs the shorthair cat that tries to sneak by the two of them. 

“Now, if Bluegill is the social butterfly, Red Ranger here is the wallflower, but drama queen of the group. She will almost always be on one of the top shelves over there, or in the window if no other cat is there. She is one who likes being seen, but you have to earn the right to pet her.” Red Ranger huffs at Hunk, like she feels offended by the wallflower title, but still allows him to pet his ears. Then, she swiftly leaps out of his arms and struts off towards the window. 

Shiro watches Bluegill twitch before she does the classic cat butt wiggle and pounces after Red Ranger. He wonders for a second if he should stop her, but Hunk just waves his hand away.

“No worries, Shiro. They play fight like that all the time, but don’t do any more damage than I’ve seen Keith and Lance do. Now where’s Green Bean?” Hunk twists around, looking for the next cat to introduce. Shiro begins to look himself, but stops when he feels something press against his shins. At his feet is a large black cat, one that he realizes he has met before. He picks the cat up, and earns a happy purr from her and an amused gasp from Hunk.

“There you are, you cutie. And Oh! I see that you already know Black Jack there. And this is Green Bean.” Hunk gestures to the small tabby that is easily the smallest of the group. Its bright green eyes in slits as it gnaws on Hunk’s hand. Hunk, however, does not seem fazed by the little bites. 

“Green bean is a Munchkin cat, but she will be determined to jump on to the tallest shelves, so watch out for that. Black Jack roams around everywhere, often to keep tabs on the other cats. She’s like the head cat of the group, well, under Allura who is somehow the alpha cat.”

Shiro’s eyebrows raise a little. Hunk shrugs.

“Trust me. She is the alpha of the group. You’ll see.” 

Shiro is not so sure about what he is getting himself into. Instead of focusing on it, he looks down to focus on Black Jack, running his left hand over her soft fur. Hunk smiles at the gesture.

“But I can guess that Black Jack’ll probably follow you around now.” Shiro’s eyebrows raise further up in confusion at that. 

“Why is that exactly?” He asks. Hunk shrugs, finally letting Green Bean down before returning to the kitchen. 

“Allura must have told you. It’s practically in her interview mantra. The cats choose the workers. Black Jack was the last one to choose someone,” 

-cue a wide handed gesture towards Shiro-

“and here you are! Now come on, I could use some help with these flour bags. Grand opening is in a week remember?”

\----

The past week had been teaching Shiro the etiquette of being a waiter at the Cafe of Lions. The other workers had their training in the summer, when the cafe was open on reservation weekends only to gain attention. So, Shiro is the only one doing Coran’s quirky training exercises. 

Coran is a vibrant character and tries to make the training fun, but Shiro is still unsure he needed to be blindfolded to train his other senses. Coran claims as a waiter and host that Shiro needs to keep his eyes on the clients to make them feel valued but the rest of the cats to keep them safe.

(Coran is also the one to break it to Shiro that the cat’s name were just the colors. It was a thing that Allura’s father used to do and Allura picked it up. Apparently, Hunk just has cute little nicknames for them and tries to make them catch on.)

However, The cats often keep to their favored perches, unless it’s Blue who has to be watched so that she can not jump up on clients for attention while they eat. Lance typically watches over her- but he does not know that Shiro knows that Lance often waits for her to pounce on clients he finds attractive, so that he can make an excuse to flirt. Not that he needs an excuse. Lance is a pretty great host in his own way. 

Shiro, at first, kept tabs on Lance’s pick up lines, but it turns out the clients just think that he is being funny. It is part of his host charm. It is mainly the rest of the workers who are tired of Lance’s barrage of puns. 

As he hands out the tables their assorted pastries with a smile, Shiro could not help but remember how right Hunk and Allura were about the cats choosing their companion worker. Their aprons with the cafe logo on the pocket where even color coded to the cats’ names. 

Lance and Blue are always interacting with the clients, or off lounging somewhere. However, Lance often gets in trouble if he tries to take one of his so called “beauty naps” on the job.

Keith and Red do not interact with the customers often. Keith usually stays behind the counter making the various drink orders. He is a whizz with the foam designs, as Shiro tells him and earns a cute blush in response. 

(Shiro doesn’t bother to tell him that he has a cute expression when he concentrates on the orders. His tongue just slightly peeks out of his lips, just like a cat’s. Shiro could not risk him trying to stop that habit.)  
Pidge and Green can be usually found at a little table in the corner of the dining area, with papers spread all around them. Pidge is a freshmen student at the university, who apparently skipped a few grades to get into the computer engineering program. Shiro tries to ask what they are working on, but their initial thesis ideas already had his mind reeling. They seem passionate about explaining it to him, however so he is trying to think of some good questions to ask them later about it.

Hunk and Yellow are mainly in the kitchen, unless a client asks them for a picture set. The duo is very popular, and Shiro can see why. They are both giant balls of sunshine, plus they do hilarious poses like the Lion King scene.

That is an activity that Allura made sure to explain in the interview. Since the cat cafe has the hosting and cute animal aspect to them, part of their revenue base comes from selling pictures of the workers or paladins with their cat. Since he’s new, Shiro is not a part of the group picture deal yet, but he and the others can still pose for single shots. Apparently, a good portion of it is donated to various animal shelters around the area. 

Allura’s main objective of the cafe is to bring a safe place for the students at Garrison university and to provide support to their surrounding community. It is quite the diplomatic approach, and the workers seem all too ready to help her with it. 

Before Shiro knows it, the heavy lunch crowd turns into a slightly milder evening rush, until the final minutes before closing time rush by. Shiro and Lance work on cleaning off the tables and de-furring the focus fixtures. Hunk and Keith clean up the dishes as a through wash and dry duo in the kitchen, although it does turn into a slight cleaning war when Lance swears Keith sprays him with the water. Although Hunk is the one with the faucet hose and boisterous laughter. 

Allura and Pidge laugh at the childish war, but stay out of it as they look over the day’s profits. Coran is trying to corral the cats for a well needed grooming, but they would rather run around with the mice in their little plastic balls. 

Apparently, they were Allura’s home pets that she brought down to interact with the cats. Shiro thinks that the cats would stress out the little things, but the mice are often the ones chasing the cats. Hunk swears to him, that is because they are the Alpha Allura’s mice so they hold the same title to the cats. Shiro just snorts, which causes everyone to look at him, but they join in on the laughter. 

As he heads back to his apartment, Shiro smiles at the new memories and is extremely happy that he got this job. It is sure to make his decision to seek out something after the accident worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The life and times in the Cafe of Lions, as told by the Paladins. With each chapter comes a new perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After working on other stories, I want to use this au as my de-stresser story. The story will focus on Shiro's new life at the Cafe of Lions, but shown through the point of view of the other Paladins. This chapter is Hunk's and begins about a month after the grand opening.

If he had to choose his favorite time of day,  Hunk would have to go with morning.  He especially loves the mornings in the bakery, when he is up just before the sun rises. Working the different doughs into delicious pastries brings him peace, especially when he is stressed about his different engineering projects.  He can forget all of his worries and simply work on creating something he can share with everyone.  It is a gift he learned to love as a child, and gives to others in his growing adult life.

 

Ol Yellow is twining around his shins, happy to have her alone time with him before the hustle of the brunch rush comes in.  The other cats are still snoozing away in their preferred spots. They never seem to be really active until their selected paladins walk through the door.  It's nice in a way.  Hunk feels like it proves just how close they have become with the other workers at the cafe.  

A curious meow shakes Hunk away from his musing, turning his head to see a sleepy faced Allura walk through the door that separates her apartment from the store.  She merely glances up and mouths a morning at him, before grabbing a pot for tea.  Hunk smiles and sets up two cream danishes filled with juniper jam.

 

They do this every work morning.  Share some breakfast and the silence of the store, before anyone else arrives.  Today they have a little more time, since weekends are their late openings days, and Coran ran off to pick up some extra tea leaves from their preferred tea shop an hour away.

 

"Sleep well Princess?"  Allura glares at the nickname, probably cursing Coran in her head for telling them all about her long term princess phase as a child.  Hunk simply laughs, as her face scrunches into what Hunk would call a pout on anyone except Allura.  She was quite the picture, her hair in messy braids that drape over her shoulders like a big knit fluffy shawl.

 

"Hunk you know better than to speak to me before my first cup of tea."  Allura replies, too tired for any retort with actual bite to it.  Unlike Hunk, she required a few minutes to fully wake up in the morning.

 

"Now if you switch me and tea with Keith and coffee, I would agree with you."  Allura can't help but let out a laugh.

 

"That is true, isn't it?  I could see Lance's life flash before his eyes when he accidently ruined that pot of coffee during finals week freshman year.  Keith was livid." Hunk raises his arms up in a shrugging motion. 

"Lance didn't ruin it, per say.  In his defense, he was used to his father's coffee, which is like black sludge.  It tastes disgusting, but man if it doesn't help you pull an all nighter." Hunk tries not to laugh at Allura’s shiver of pure disgust.  He really did.  She merely puts up one manicured hand to hush him, or to steady herself.  

 

"I will stick to chugging down energy drinks with Pidge any finals week than drink that, Hunk."

Both of them burst into soft laughter, remembering the lengths their group went through to survive their first finals week together.  

"And to think you survived your freshman year without taking in all of our final survival habits first?"

Allura hums with a warm smile on her face. "It is true, what would have happened if Coran did not convince me to volunteer as a peer advisor for that summer's program for incoming freshman?"

"You would be that junior girl that everyone is too intimidated by to talk to and have only the cats as friends?"  Hunk stares down her glare with a big grin.

"Harsh, especially for you Hunk, but truthful. You would have not believe the lectures that I received from Coran and Father about appearing more open to the public.  I was just always focused on creating my business line and helping the community, but never actually being a part of the community I was helping."

"And look at you now,  the picture of an excelling business woman and a stressed out college student.” Hunk holds his arms out to her, but she simply smacks his hands away.

"Yes, what was I thinking, running a business for my major thesis, while keeping my computer science minor?" Hunk shrugs in response

"I would never do it, but I am not you, Allura.  You can do anything.  Plus, you have a great team behind you.”

"Ha, I do, don't I? Now that I think about it,  the cat cafe was inspired by how often you and the others came over to my house to de-stress with the cats.  Before that, I was thinking about doing a training program."

Hunk chuckles as he imagines Allura shouting down commands at exhausted students.  It was not difficult to see her doing that.

"Well, I am personally glad that you chose the passive business route.  Ol' Yellow agrees, don't you girl?" Hunk coos, as Yellow pops up into his lap with a warm purr. Her paws stretch out on the marble top, as she gets her large frame comfortable. Allura rolls her eyes at the two.

"Hunk, I thought we talked about not letting the cats on any furniture that was not constructed specifically for them."  Allura disciplines, although her stern glare barely has any strength behind it.  Hunk is not fazed by the smallest degree.

"I believe the key stipulation was during working hours, therefore she is perfectly fine at this time."  Yellow blinks in agreement, perfectly sated where she is now.

"Fine, I can't argue with well searched loopholes, but as soon as that clocks strikes ten, she is to report back to the window with the other cats."  

"Yes, ma'am."  Hunk picks up Yellow's paw and mimes a salute with it.  The cat simply pulls it back when he is finished, hardly bothered by his antics.

  
Hunk smiles in response to the soft laughter that he peels out of Allura, wanting to ask his question while she is in a giving mood.  T hey turn to set up their breakfast and be able to sit down and relax.  Allura riffles through the various teas, figuring out what they had enough of to make a full pot.  Hunk decides to cut up some fresh fruit- plums and oranges, to go with their danishes. Walking around the counter to rest, he waits for Allura to sit down as well before speaking.

 

"So, have you thought about inviting Shiro into our little morning chat and sip?  Cuz I feel like he looks for reasons to be here earlier and earlier, and he never really mentions doing anything besides hanging out with people from the cafe."

 

Allura just stares him down from her raised teacup.  "Hunk, I know you want to bring in every sad faced college student that shows up on our door, but this is our gossip time.  Shiro feels too much like a golden boy to be able to dish up some real dirt."

 

Hunk puts on a stern face and crosses his arms dramatically.  "Allura, you are nicer than this."

 

"No, I'm not."  Hunk meets Allura’s deadpanned response with a turned cheek.

 

"Fine, be out of character, but if you do not let me at least offer him the chance, I will be forced to make my leave and take Ol Yellow with me.  

 

"Hunk, she's my cat."

 

"Well, she likes me more, so my threat still stands."  

 

Allura clicks her tongue, but Hunk can see the smile tug at her lips. "Fine, you can ask Shiro.  It would be too much of a hassle to explain to our patrons why you and Lance stormed off suddenly."

"Victory is mine!"  Hunk shoots his arms up triumphantly, before they sag back as he lets her words settle in.  "Wait a tick, what do you mean me and Lance leave? Last time I heard, I was only threatening to steal your cat whose heart is rightfully mine."  

 

Now, it was Allura's turn to furrow her sculpted brows in confusion.  "What do YOU mean?  Lance would obviously take his boyfriend's side in our fake fight."

 

"Boyfriend? You know that Lance and I aren’t dating?"  Hunk spits out his surprise through the snort filled giggles tumbling out of him.

"You aren't?"  If it was anyone else, the tea cup would have shattered with how quickly it was slammed down by shock.  Hunk laughes until his sides hurt at Allura's incredulous expression.  

 

"No! Why does everyone think that?"  Allura’s face contorts at Hunk's question.  

 

"Oh I don't know, Hunk!  You both laugh at whatever the other says, no matter how lame.  Lance is either glued on your side or you are right there to help him pick up something heavy- even though we both know he can handle himself despite being so lithe. You always leave together, and you even told me that you were best friends since childhood.  It is a storybook romance!"  Hunk hums at Allura's rant as she counts on her fingers, clearly amused by her reaction.  

 

"You got me there, but I promise you that we aren't dating."  Hunk laughs behind his hand, as Allura glares down at him, clearly not believing him.  

 

"But even the patrons believe you are dating! Why else would they buy you and his pictures as sets so often?"  Hunk perks up at that admission.

 

"Is that why Coran was musing to himself about pairing shoots? They are not a bad idea, but I wouldn't want to mislead the patrons. Especially since I see a lot of them around campus."  Allura nods sympathetically, grabbing the teapot and filling up their glasses.  Gossip time only ends when the door-bell ringed or when the pot was empty, and Allura wanted neither to happen before she got answers.

 

"So you too have never dated? ever?"  Hunk smiles softlyat the curious question, shaking his head.  

 

"I never said that."  He waits for Allura to shut her dropped mouth, and then continues explaining.  

 

"Actually, Lance and I did date for two years, back during sophomore and junior year.  It made sense to us at the time. We were best friends, wanted to date somebody, and already did the things other couples our age did.  We walked each other to our classes.  I always met him at his locker, since he had the perfect spot right in the corner of the intersection.  We even had spare clothes at each other's houses."

 

"So, I am assuming no one was surprised when you got together." Allura pipes in, head resting on her  open palms.

 

"Not at all. Half of our grade thought we had gotten together in middle school and were just coming out then.  The other half still thinks we are together.  Our families even had bets on when we would tell them that we were dating.  I think Lance's grandmother won that one."

 

Allura laughs at the thought, imagining the smug grandma easily from the plethora of times that Lance has talked about his family.  He even had the flip down line of photos in his wallet that could rival any father's.  

 

"Then, what made you break up, if you don't mind digging into a possibly sensitive memory?"

 

"No, it's nothing horrible.  Lance and I just fell out of love.  Well not fall out, it was like we went from platonic love to romantic then returned back to platonic.  We both felt more comfortable as best friends than as partners.  It's nice, plus we can tease each other about crushes without worrying about other people judging us for it.  Being attracted to a boy was one thing in highschool, but talking about any other attraction was social suicide."

 

"So, did you two ever consider polyamory?"  Allura asks.  Hunk shrugs in return.  

 

"Back in highschool, we had only ever heard of straight, gay, and sometimes bi.  I know that Lance has recently been looking into poly relationships, but I really more comfortable being someone's cuddle buddy than someone's boyfriend."  

 

Hunk tries to hide his face, as Allura's face turned impish at his words.  

 

"Okay, so firstly, you will tell me more about Lance's growing interest on polyamory, and secondly, you are claiming that you have no opinion on that cute little patron that keeps showing up for the brunch hours, and always on your shifts no less?"

 

Hunk could feel his guilty blush cover his whole face and his neck now.  Lance was going to kill him for spilling the beans, but once Allura caught a whiff of some juicy gossip, she would rip it out of him no matter what.  

 

And for the cute girl matter? "Okay, you caught me.  Her name is Shay and she is in my geology class.  She helped me study for our minerals test, and ever since, we have been hanging out.  Actually, we have this fun thing where we will trade each other fun facts about our majors.  Like I will explain to her the latest breakthroughs in advanced prosthetics and mechanics.  She will tell me all about this type of quartz that filled the soil where she lived, like she could stick a finger in and flip up a chunk of it every time.  She just gets me in a way that I just never want to stop."  

 

Allura doesn't stop his rambling, finding his affection towards the girl extremely cute.  They do suit each other nicely, now that Allura thought about it. 

 

"I think you should ask her out then, Hunk.  Even if she doesn't reciprocate your feelings, you two are positive enough people to still be great friends.  Plus, she looks adorable with the silver hoop earrings and shy smile."

 

"Yeah, apparently the hoops are a tradition with the women in her family.  She told me all about it last time she was here.  Maybe you're right.  I should at least put myself out there.”  Hunk picks up and begins to smooth his fingers through Yellow’s fur as he thought about Shay.  Yellow purrs happily, and Allura nods in agreement.  

 

“Good for you, Hunk.  Now, about Lance…”  Hunk tries to block Allura’s teasing grin with Ol Yellow’s body, but he to no avail.  Groaning, he places Ol Yellow back in his lap.

 

“Allura, Lance would kill me if I told, or die from the added anxiety and stress from knowing that other people knew about his crushes.”  

 

“I wouldn’t think Lance the type to be nervous about how people felt about him.  I mean, he is the same Lance who flirts with every attractive patron that comes to our cafe.” Allura adds, trying to pull information out of the gentle giant that is Hunk Garrett.

 

“Lance actually is very easily stressed out.  He just hides it with a cocky attitude and pun filled pickup lines.”  

 

“Really? I never got that vibe from him.”  Allura thought back to meeting Lance and groaning at his constant flirting before they started hanging out constantly as a group.  Hunk pats her hand supportively out of reflex more than necessity.

 

"To be fair, you didn’t really know us first semester, but Lance had Pidge in elaborate braids for two weeks straight up to when are final project was due.  Pidge did not mind it though. I think it’s because they will actually relax whenever Lance plays with their hair.”  Pidge was never one for excessive cuddling before, but they seemed to adjust to it after years of being Lance’s friend.

 

"Is that why Lance has been absent mindedly threading his fingers in my hair when we are supposed to be studying?”  Allura pats down her braids, absently tucking back stray strands.  Hunk smiles and nods.

"Yea, he has been wanting to mess with it forever, but has only felt comfortable with you enough to actually act on his urges.  Being touchy feely is Lance's way of showing that he cares about you.  However, if you don't like it, tell him right away.  He went into a guilt ridden slump when Pidge's brother Matt admitted that he didn't like being touched without a warning after Lance draped himself on him during a beach trip we went with Pidge and him.”  Hunk sighs at the end, remembering having to carry Lance back to the beach house after he sulked in the same spot on the beach until sunset. 

 

"Aww, I never knew Lance actually thought about his actions that carefully.” Allura says, resting her chin gently on her hand.  Hunk smiles at her honest reaction.

 

"Yeah, you would be surprised by his little ticks, like how he flirts with random people versus actual pining crushes.”  Allura’s eyebrows rise up.

 

"Ooh, please go on, we still have a little bit left in the pot.”  She confirms with a shake of the teapot, letting the tea softly slosh around.

 

Hunk rubs his neck, looking guilty, but not with his whole heart.  He soons feels a smile tugging on his lips, as he finally admits defeat to Allura’s prodding.

“Okay, I won’t tell you  _ who _ he is crushing on, but if you ever notice him sighing out of nowhere and refusing to make a pun like usual, those are big signs.”

 

“And his crushes have no idea? He sounds obvious.”  A snort slips out, before Hunk can stop it.

“Trust me, Lance would crush on the two people that are possibly even more oblivious about how much people are attracted to them than he is.”  Hunk watches Allura’s face scrunch up in thought, before her eyes shoot up, twinkling with realization.”

 

"You don't mean..."  Hunk quickly grabs the teapot out of her hands and pours his glass full.

 

"No no, I have said too much, and I believe you are out of tea, which means it's back to working mode, Boss."

 

Allura pouts and huffs at Hunk's laughter as he returns back to his pastries, but she knows he is right.  

  
Besides, She can always get her answers next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For future reference, the way the group knows each other goes like this:
> 
> Hunk, Lance, and Pidge come from the same highschool- Pidge jumped two grades to get into the same grade as them. 
> 
> Keith transferred into their highschool, but left senior year. Reasons why they all came to the same university will hopefully be explained later. 
> 
> Allura hanged out with Hunk mostly his first and her second fall semester. Then, he slowly brought his friends over to hang out.
> 
> Due to an accident not yet revealed, Shiro's college career was delayed a few years.
> 
> Next chapter is Pidge's POV I think. I will probably post these chapters in between my serious stories' updates. I appreciate all of your comments and kudos.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three with Pidge as our lovely narrator, is finally here. Even if it is not holiday time, the timeline for this story is just before finals and winter break for our lovely kids. I am hoping that this PoV shift with each chapter is working for everyone because I kind of enjoy experimenting with each kiddo. Hope you like chapter three of this cute little cat cafe au.

Pidge chapter three

Winter break is edging closer, and the promise shows in the client’s faces at Cafe of Lions. The usual excited rush of students and laughter is replaced with an air of exhaustion and wanting for the holidays. Everyone is starting to feel the stress of impending finals. The freshmen are feeling the brunt of the winter blues, days of relaxing and skimming through expensive books rapidly turning into calculating how well they need to pass the final to get their desired grade. 

The workers at Cafe of Lions are no strangers to the final dredge, each of them finding their own way to make it to break in one piece. Due to their dedicated study regimen and their lacking sleeping schedule, Pidge is hardly worried about their finals. Truthfully, some of their professors in their elective courses have given them the go to skip their final. Why go to a final that can’t improve your scores any further?

So, when they are not at the Cafe, they are willingly lodged in a library booth with Hunk and Lance. Those two actually require study time, more so Lance to finish writing his excessive analysis of Latin history as presumed by old white men. Hunk finishes off his writing assignments early on like Pidge to tinkle with his coding for his different engineering final projects.

While Allura often has the whole group over at her house to study, complete with de-stressor kitty breaks, Lance and Hunk have discovered that certain projects need to be done where they can get different resources with ease. Sometimes Allura will visit and sit with them for a little while, mainly because she needs to take out numerous articles on business.

Pidge never really sees Keith or Shiro besides the group study sessions. Sometimes they’ll catch Keith tucked away in the library, in the quiet sections where Lance and Hunk never work. From what Hunk has told them, Shiro tends to study at home, preferring the familiarity and comfort. 

To each his own, Pidge thinks while sitting in their little spot at the cafe. They are currently setting up the layouts for the winter ending event. Allura and Coran will have the shop open a few days after break, but are allowing a break to let the workers enjoy the holidays with their families. Allura’s father, Alfor is apparently coming to assist them with the cafe while the others are gone. Coran seems especially pleased about this.

Pidge works on different graphic designs for the event, posing the photos of each paladin and their cats to fill the pages of their social feeds. Lance and Coran would do the rest and spread them like wildfire. Both of them have bonded over controlling the various social media platforms, despite their different feelings on which platform is the best. Pidge personally favors Lance, due to the popularity of his Instagram pics bringing the majority of the clientele in.

Speaking of Lance, Pidge glances over to their old friend, who was currently trying to act like they weren't swooning over Shiro helping Hunk carry in new platforms for the cats. They were holiday themed, climbing features that looked like snow covered pine trees. Allura had even ordered in new toys shaped like winter birds and ornaments to cover the features with. The cats flit around the two men, trying to sniff at the foreign structures.

Pidge couldn't help but sigh at their pathetic friend. He has been pining after Shiro ever since he came through the cafe doors. To make matters worse, Lance has also come to grips that his long assumed rivalry with a certain Keith Kogane was actually a ruse to a longtime crush.   
Hunk and Pidge has tried to convince him to actually express his feelings to the two men, but Lance is convinced that he has no chance. He flirts with every customer on sight- something Pidge has teased him mercilessly about, but can't work the nerve to actually confess to his two crushes.

It doesn't help that Shiro and Keith are just as infatuated and as oblivious to the truth as their Cuban friend. 

As Pidge finishes off their last photo edit, Hunk slides over to relax for a bit while Shiro is busy taking orders from some clients that requested him. During his months working here, Shiro has become almost the poster boy of the Cafe of Lions. His photo sets almost being sold out every week, since his first shoot. Allura and the others couldn't have been happier.

"So how's our poster boy Paladin doing, Hunk?" Pidge asks, closing their laptop to look more attentively at the scene before them. Green quickly hops over to claim the still warm laptop as their throne, confirming that Pidge’s editing time is over. Hunk attempts to scratch under Green’s chin, but is denied, Green tucking their face under for protection.

"Great, I think he has really relaxed since working here." Pidge nods, remembering how excited Hunk was that Allura allowed Shiro to join their morning talks, a feat not easily done by any mere human. Pidge can see the stress wash away from Shiro’s frame, showing a more relaxed and joking Shiro that no one has seen before. It reminds Pidge of a boy that Matt used to tell them about before they had the accident and Matt was left in a coma for a year. He is home now with their parents and has even made plans to visit the Cafe, to Pidge’s delight. 

Pidge doesn’t know what about Shiro reminds them of the boy, wondering if Matt will help them figure it out after break. But that thought is for another day. Right now, it’s time to get down to business. The business of setting their friend up that is.

"Relaxed enough to ask out our boy, Lance?” 

"Oh no, he's hopeless. I mean, look at him." Hunk nudges his chin in Shiro's direction. The tall man's eyes solely on Lance, who was excitably showing Blue the new features. He was even babbling baby talk in Spanish to her, something that only Blue really understands, if her happy meows mean anything. 

"Wow, I wouldn't even have to photoshop the floating hearts around Shiro's head." Pidge’s fingers wiggle over their phone, debating whether to snap a picture of the lovesick man. It wouldn’t be the first time that Hunk and Pidge debated taking pictures of their flustered friends to make them realize the obvious. However, they were shot down by Coran, who scolded them for trying to push their friends before they were ready.

"He's not the only one." Pidge chuckles as they catch Keith peering out at the two from his practically permanent spot behind the counter. He has a slight scowl on his face, but if you looked closely, you could see the flush on his neck and ears. 

"Yea, but Keith's hearts would be a lot sharper, especially since his longing glances look like he can't decide if he wants to hit Lance or kiss him."

"We both know it's the latter Pidge, now the question is: How to make them all just snap out of it and face the obvious facts?" 

Pidge shrugs, idly flipping through different photos on their phone, most of them their own edits from cafe photoshoots.

"Beats me. I mean, I have been trying to make them talk more by setting up more pairing photoshoots. You think having them pose with their faces inches away from each other would spark something, but the most I got is highly red faces and stammering idiots.” Hunk nods sadly, remembering the flustered hours at the cafe. Lance had no trouble posing with him, hanging off his shoulders and even having Hunk carry him and their two cats bridal style. He was all laughs when he and Pidge posed having their two cats doing high fives.

But as soon as Pidge had him pose with Shiro or Keith, the easy-going fun of the shoot flipping into a wave of embarrassment for everyone around. The cats could even feel the tension, causing Red and Blue to fight since they thought the other’s Paladin was making the other uncomfortable. Which caused the two boys to argue and fight, and then separate more flustered and confused than ever before.

“Yea, being aloof is futile for these guys, what we need is to get them alone, somewhere where they can relax and calm down enough to actually notice the constant red hue to their three faces.” Hunk determines, fiddling around with one of the new string toys with Yellow as he thinks. They probably only had a few more minutes to create a plan before Hunk would need to grab Shiro and finish the feature set up.

“But it’s almost finals time. Keith and Shiro never study where we do, and Lance refuses to let me leave his study times after he deemed I was the only one who could probably rip out his papers when editing.”

“You are pretty ruthless about unneeded commas and tangents.” Hunk chuckles, but is silenced by Pidge’s glare- down.

“We don’t speak of grammar during Cafe hours. Speaking of which, whenever we do have free time outside studying and classes, it’s here at the Cafe. And Coran banned all ‘kibitzing in their budding affections’ on the Cafe grounds.” Pidge remembers Coran doing the I’m-watching-you hand gesture repetively through the photoshoot shenanigans.

“Right, the kibitz ruling. So, what else can we do before break starts? I don’t know if we are strong enough for lonely Lance snapchats for a whole month.” Hunk sighs, hardly resilient against Lance’s pouting when Shiro or Keith ignores him for a day. He watches Pidge pick Green up and hold them in their arms for constructive plot petting. Break is their biggest obstacle, and they hate seeing their friends tip-toe around the obvious issues because they are afraid to risk ruining what they already have.

Hunk risks another scratch under Green’s chin, and smiles when he is finally allowed. “What we need is a sign from the heavens.”

Suddenly, quick paced guitar playing rips through the cafe, the guilty culprit known as Lance freezing at the spot as the sound blares from his back pocket.

“Lance, you know you are supposed to silence your phone during work hours!” Pidge holds out their hand expectedly, watching Lance pout and hand over his beloved phone to them. 

“Yea, yea.. But I can’t help it. My mom has been calling me constantly to plan when I am heading home, and if I am bringing anyone home this year.” When Lance turns around to go back to helping Shiro with his clients, Pidge’s eyes light up with inspiration. 

“Of course!”

“Of course, what? What are you plotting?” Hunk inquires, standing up for a stretch and raising eyebrows at Pidge’s grin.

“We have been thinking of break as a problem, when it is actually the solution! Hunk, what has Shiro been worrying about the past few days during your breakfast talks?” Hunk’s nose scrunches up as he remembers, but a smile soon falls on his face as realization hits him.

“How empty his schedule is going to be, since he doesn’t have plans to go anywhere for the holidays. His family can’t come together to celebrate this year, so he is just planning to stay here.” Pidge nods, posing a finger up over in Keith’s direction.

“And who else do we know has no plans for the holidays?” Hunk smiles goes larger, as he slips Lance’s phone out of Pidge’s hand, tapping in the passcode to forward the plan he knows Pidge is alluding to.

“And who has the one family we know that can never stand to hear that someone is spending the holidays alone?” Hunk hovers over the name, but Pidge stops him, taking the phone back from him.

“Wait, we need them to think of this, as their own invention. Follow my lead.” Pidge nudges Green up to their shoulder, so they can get up without much fuss from the small cat. The clients have finally left, leaving them a small window to talk to the servers before they are distracted again.

“Hey Lance, what has your family planned for the holidays this year? Doesn’t your dad always plan a like week long eating festival?” Pidge calls out. Lance’s face lights up at the word of his family traditions, earning attention from two other boys around.

“Oh yeah, my dad is convinced that eating big only during Christmas and New years is a crime against happiness, so he cooks constantly the whole week. You never have to worry about starving at my house.”

“So, you guys just over eat for the holidays to make up for your lack of proper eating now?” Keith says, moving to rest his elbows on the counter. Lance glares back at him, sticking his tongue out in retaliation. 

“No, stupid mullet-head. I eat just fine, unlike some weirdos we know that consider coffee a meal.” Keith returns Lance’s glare with fervor, causing Shiro to step in and redirect the argument.

“Actually, having big family moments like that sounds really fun. It’s more than we can speak for, Keith.” Shiro tilts his head towards Keith, who slouches closer to the counter.

“What, I like my alone time. Not going anywhere during break will be fine.” Hunk can see that Keith doesn’t really mean that, so he gently nudges Lance to speak up. Lance flinches, before flitting over Shiro’s and Keith’s faces and speaking.

“You mean, neither of you have any plans for break? Not even here?” Shiro shakes his head.

“Allura and Coran are planning to spend most of their time here with Alfor, and they want to make up for lost time. I can understand, so I am not planning to work here for break. Everyone deserves family time.” Hunk sighs, knowing how Shiro is missing his family, and looks over at Keith. Keith simply shrugs, not really staring at anyone in particular.

“It’s not like I ever had a big family christmas, so I’m used to celebrating alone.” Pidge can see Lance’s heart break for the two through his crestfallen face, hoping that this small push will help them all out. They slowly press Lance’s now silent phone into his palm. He stares down at the blue case, before inspiration sparks in his eyes.

“Why don’t you both come to my house for break?” Lance hurries out, earning two surprised faces and two relieved faces in response. Shiro begins to shake his head, but Lance cuts him off.

“No, hear me out! My family always make enough food that we hand out our leftovers to the neighborhood, and my mom has been dying to see friends of mine besides Hunk and Pidge. We have a spare room and plenty of blankets, so it’s not like you two would be a bother or anything. And no one deserves to spend the holidays alone.” Pidge beams proudly at Lance, even it is was their idea first, they were glad that he was pressing for it instead of shying away from his crushes. Flicking their gaze towards Shiro and Keith, Pidge grins even larger when the both play with their hair sheepishly.

They both have similar nervous ticks, but with their own individual flair. Shiro rubs at the shaved portion of his haircut, while Keith threads his fingers to repeatedly tuck his hair behind his right ear.

“I could handle heading back to my old highschool town… for a little bit.” Keith mutters out, refusing to look at Lance.

“If you are sure we won’t be a bother to your family…” Shiro adds, a small smile tugging at his face. Lance excitably jumps and shakes his hands furiously.

“No, no, this will be great! My dad makes the best stews, and my siblings and I have this holiday scavenger hunt that we do every year, it will be great!” Lance keeps talking as he runs to go outside and call his mom about the news. Pidge and Hunk share a victorious look, stepping back to Pidge’s spot and to allow Shiro and Keith to let what just happened sink in.

As Pidge sits back down, Hunk leans over to them, pretending to grab a fallen toy that Yellow has discarded.

“Remind me to never doubt your inception skills again.” Pidge just laughs, tugging Green off to let her run off and play with the other cats. They grin at Hunk and points over Hunk’s shoulder, clearly pleased with the situation.  
“How long until we get an embarrassed mistletoe picture from Lance’s parents of them?” Hunk peers over his shoulder and holds back a laugh. After leaving the two to realize that they just agreed to meet and spend the holidays with their crush’s family, Shiro and Keith are currently rivaling the redness of the holiday decorations filling the cafe.

“I give it until Christmas eve, knowing Lance’s siblings.” Hunk states, but Pidge shakes their head.

“Please, with Lance’s parents, I give it a week after they make it through the door. Especially if Shiro offers to help with anything, which we both know he will.” Pidge and Hunk share a quick laugh, covering their faces when they are caught by Shiro and Keith, confused but suspicious looks thrown at the two. Pidge simply waves them off, before turning their laptop back on. They know that Coran told them that they weren’t supposed to interfere, but if Lance’s parents just happened to receive the holiday pairing package of all of Lance, Shiro, and Keith together for Christmas.

Then that was purely a holiday miracle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am planning three different story arcs to write on next and in between this feel good story. The one is based on a post I think I saw on tumblr about the Paladins going to a planet where it is common to have three people in a relationship, putting Keith in an embarrassing predicament with the established couple and Shiro and Lance. If anyone knows that post, and can send me something so I can make sure I'm not abusing someone's au without their knowledge, I will be very thankful. The other two story arcs are inspired by the games, Devil Survivor and Fire Emblem:Awakening. 
> 
> Also, I am opening up writing commissions to help support my friend, Vei. If you donate to them, I will write something for you, just send me an ask on tumblr and we can talk. http://veituriel.tumblr.com/post/158198769950 Please support my friend, and comment and tell me how you liked this chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. My tumblr is Suileye, so send me any prompts or aus to consider for future Short stories. I may make connecting stories to this au, like Shiro's first encounter with the cafe and events that occurred after the first week.


End file.
